RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

If the game wardens aren' t currently working Sundays, who' s enforcing the fishing regualtions? Secondly, I disagree with any scheme to allow Sunday hunting on private property but while retaining the ban on public lands. I have no private property nor the permission of any property owner to hunt his land. Therefore, the state and national forests are........MY LAND. I own them jointly with all of you. If other non-hunting users of the forest are offended by my sport, well that' s just TS. I don' t like idiots who drive and talk on cell phones at the same time. But that' s legal and I live with it. We all have our pet peeves. I would never knowingly go out of my way to offend or annoy anyone while I' m hunting. Besides, the whole point is avoid other humans while stalking or on stand. And while I don' t have any problem with non-hunters using the forest for any legal purpose, aren' t they getting a free ride. Isn' t it mainly revenue from licenses, special stamps, taxes on firearms & ammo etc. that supports management of game and non-game species alike? Tell you what. Here' s a idea. I' ll trade Sunday hunting in exchange for a ban on hunting on lets say, Wednesday. Fair enough?

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

While I also feel that the ban should be lifted unconditionally, the matter of the public' s safety while using state parks and forests on Sunday is hands down the strongest opposition towards Sunday hunting. Sometimes lifting a ban like this has to be done in phases; first you push for a couple Sunday' s a month on private property. Then you push for every Sunday; then you push to include a couple Sunday' s on public land...eventually, you phase out the entire ban, just one step at a time.

Darrell
http://www.geocities.com/sundayhuntva

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

I know the game warden near my Dad's house doesn't work on Sunday. The local police might call him if they find someone with a carcass on Sunday or someone spots hunters going into the woods, but he doesn't patrol like he does on the rest of the week.

Chubber

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

I do 90% of my hunting on public WMA land. I have never hunted on the state or national forests. But, I have walked my dog there, gone hiking, camping, etc. 90% of the citizens of Virginia don't hunt. They pay for 90% of the costs of state and national forests. Hunting is allowed there to keep the deer populations in check, but if pressed the state and especially the feds would remove hunters before the other 90% of the population. While I love to hunt, I dont want to be in the woods with hunters when not hunting. Partly it is fear of an errant shot or sleepy hunter mistaking me or my dog for game. But just as much I don't want to interfere with hunters doing their thing. If you are all set up in your stand, watching a funnel the last thing you want is my dog spooking the deer.

WMA land is a different story. It is bought and maintained from hunting licenses, taxes and revenues. I think that in PA it is illegal to be in the gamelands during hunting season if not actually hunting or possessing a hunting licence. (That rule was enacted to keep protesters from holding rallies in the gamelands on opening day, interrupting hunters.)

Private land is a toss up. I believe that a mans land is his own business. Let the landowner decide.

Chubber

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

From someone who has hunted every Sunday that I could for almost 40 yrs. I can not understand how there could be a problem with someone wanting to hunt on Sunday. Lets be real here, the woods are not teaming with non-hunters during hunting season. Why? Partly because of hunters, but mostly because of the weather. Your talking what? Adding 8 maybe 12 days to the overall hunting season and maybe no more 3 or 4 for some game specific seasons. But this could double or triple the chances many people have to go hunting. Hunting during a time when most people would rather be sitting somewhere there's a heater. I'm sorry, I just don't see the argument.

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

Does anyone know about what the status if for NC. I wish we could hunt on sundays. Thats the only day I have off, and would love to be able to do what I love on my only day off.


Guns don't kill, people do

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

As ya'll know I'm against the Sunday hunting for my own selfish reasons ;) But I have to disagree with the above statement. Do the non-hunters pay for a National Forest stamp? NO. Do non-hunters pay excess taxes on guns, ammo, camo, bows, archery supplies,etc... etc...? NO (unless they are gun owners who don't hunt) Gun owners and the hunting community pay the majority of the bill. You might not see it at the cashier but the tax is there.

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

Hey Duckhunter, I've been on a dairy before .Those cows don't quit making milk on Sundays do they?.........Just kidding around.Everyone is entitled to their beliefs.I believe I want to hunt on Sunday.

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

Seems someone is making the local paper ;)

http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story159463.html


Sunday hunting ban could come under attack
By Mark Taylor

This fall Virginia's deer hunters said goodbye to a long tradition when the openers for the early muzzleloader and general firearms seasons moved from Mondays to Saturdays.

The change received generally good reviews and also prompted a fair amount of speculation that it could be a step toward changing another Virginia tradition - the ban on Sunday hunting.

Virginia is one of just a handful of states that allows no hunting on Sunday. The list is shrinking.

Maryland and West Virginia are among the states that recently have relaxed Sunday hunting bans.

Virginia's ban has long created grumbles among some of the state's sportsmen. Every few years someone tries to make an organized attempt to have the ban overturned.

Those efforts never get too far.

The latest such effort is being headed by Darrell Hoskins, a 27-year-old auto technician from Fredericksburg. Hoskins has launched an Internet-based petition, in which he urges Gov.Mark Warner and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to overturn the ban on Sunday hunting.

The petition, which can be found at PetitionOnline.com/SHV/petition.html, had attracted 667 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

The ban's critics chiefly argue that it unfairly limits time in the woods for hunters who have weekday work commitments.

"Many of Virginia's sportsmen have full-time jobs with long hours that consume most of our week, leaving only our weekends to enjoy our sport of hunting," reads Hoskins' petition, in part.

It's hard to argue that point.

A hunter in most counties west of the Blue Ridge has only three weekend days to hunt deer with a rifle.

Yet those who continue to support the Sunday hunting ban - and there are a bunch of them - also have some good arguments.

Chief among them is the strong religious conviction that Sunday is to be a day of rest. It's a position held by plenty of hunters, who are willing to sacrifice hunting time in deference to their faith.

Some hunters, too, worry that allowing Sunday hunting could lead to shorter seasons or reduced bag limits to adjust for what would assuredly be heavier weekend hunting pressure.

Other supporters of the ban appreciate having a weekend day during which nonhunters such as hikers, bikers and birders can go afield without having to flinch at the sounds of gun shots.

Hunters have their weekend day, the nonhunters say, why shouldn't we have ours?

All of those arguments existed in states where Sunday hunting bans have fallen by the wayside. What's the difference between those states and Virginia?

One could say Virginia is more tradition-bound than most states, but a big difference is the leadership behind the movement to overturn the ban.

Those who've headed such efforts in Virginia may have been passionate, but they simply haven't had the political know-how and media savvy to advance their cause very far.

For both supporters and opponents of Virginia's Sunday hunting ban, the next couple of years may prove to be pivotal.

At no time in recent history has the climate seemed better for an assault on the ban.

The complexion of the General Assembly is changing, with the recent departure of many old-school lawmakers who staunchly stood behind the ban.

Meanwhile, Gov.Warner has made no secret of his desire for the state to attract more outdoors-related tourists. Allowing Sunday hunting could be seen as a way to lure more money-wielding sportsmen to the state.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries publicly takes no stance on the Sunday hunting issue. However, the department's recent regulations changes have clearly leaned toward expanding hunting opportunities. Their agency heavily dependant on license revenues, department officials have to believe that Sunday hunting might help them attract more paying customers.

If there is one certainty in this, it is that both supporters and critics of Virginia's Sunday hunting ban should be prepared to fight hard for their beliefs this time around. With the ban's continued survival no longer a given, the group that works the hardest and smartest will probably come out on top.

At least for now.

RE: Virginia Sunday hunting...new info
 

Yes!
I have been sitting in front of this computer, probably causing carpal tunnel syndrome writing to so many newspapers in Virginia. Hopefully, this will gain us lots of exposure!

Darrell
http://www.geocities.com/sundayhuntva